Prime Minister's Office
English rendering of PM’s speech at flagging off Vande Bharat Express connecting Howrah to New Jalpaiguri and inauguration of Joka-Taratala stretch of Purple Line of Kolkata Metro via video conferencing
Namaskar,
Governor of West Bengal C.V. Ananda Bose ji, Chief Minister Respected Mamata ji, my cabinet colleagues Ashwini Vaishnaw ji, Subhas Sarkar ji, Nisith Pramanik ji, John Barla ji, Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari ji, MP Prasun ji, other colleagues on stage , ladies and gentlemen!
Today I was supposed to be physically present amidst you all, but due to my personal reasons I could not make it. For this, I apologize to you, the people of Bengal. Today I have an opportunity to salute the sacred land of Bengal and the historical land of Kolkata. The history of the freedom movement is contained in every part of Bengal. The Vande Bharat train has just been flagged off in the land from where Vande Mataram was chanted. Today, the date of 30 December also has its own significance in history. On December 30, 1943, Netaji Subhas had sounded the begule of India's independence by hoisting the tricolour in Andaman.
In the year 2018, on the 75th anniversary of this incident, I went to Andaman and named an island after Netaji. Now the country is celebrating 75 years of independence or the Amrit Mahotsav. During this Amrit Mahotsav, the country had resolved to start 475 Vande Bharat trains. Today, one of these Howrah-New Jalpaiguri Vande Bharat trains has commenced its journey from Kolkata. Today itself, other projects related to connectivity in terms of railways and metro rail have also been inaugurated or the foundation stones have been laid. Work is underway on the Joka-BBD Bag Metro project at a cost of about Rs 5,000 crore of which the Joka-Taratala Metro route has been completed. This will enhance the ease of living of the people in the city.
Friends,
Later, I will also get the opportunity to hand over several projects related to the cleanliness of Ganga ji and drinking water to West Bengal. Under the Namami Gange Mission, more than 25 sewerage projects have been approved in West Bengal. Out of these, 11 projects have already been completed and 7 projects are going to be completed today. Today, work is commencing on 5 new projects at a cost of Rs 1500 crore. The most important part of this project is the rejuvenation of the Adi Ganga river. I am told that at present the condition of Adi Ganga river is unfortunately very poor. Modern infrastructure worth more than Rs 600 crore is being developed to clean the garbage and sewage that falls in it.
We often keep talking about Preventive Healthcare in a person's life. It is adviced that our lifestyle should be such that no one falls ill in the first place. In a similar way, the central government is also laying a lot of emphasis on prevention of pollution besides cleaning the river. And the most effective and modern way of prevention is to have more and more modern sewage treatment plants.
Keeping in view the needs of the coming 10-15 years, modern sewage treatment plants are being installed in the country today. During Azadi ke Amritkal, we have to take the country forward with a futuristic mindset and approach.
Friends,
For the rapid development of India in the 21st century, rapid growth of Indian Railways and speedy improvement in Indian Railways are very important. That's why today the Central Government is making record investments to modernize the Indian Railways as well as the railway infrastructure. Today, a nationwide campaign for the rejuvenation of the Indian Railways is going on in India.
Today modern trains like Vande Bharat, Tejas and Humsafar are being built in the country. Today Vistadome coaches are providing a new experience to the rail passengers. Today there is a record increase in the number of safe and modern coaches. Today the railway stations are also being developed like airports. New Jalpaiguri station is also included in this list.
Today, doubling of railway lines and electrification of railway lines is taking place at a record speed. The Eastern and Western Dedicated Freight Corridors that are coming up in the country are going to bring revolutionary changes in the logistics sector. Be it safety, cleanliness, efficiency, coordination, punctuality or convenience, Indian Railways is creating a new identity today. So, our efforts are paying off today.
In the last eight years, Indian Railways has worked on the foundation of modernity. Now in the coming eight years, we will see Indian Railways embarking on a new journey of modernity. For a young country like India, Indian Railways is also going to turn into a young avatar. And more than 475 Vande Bharat trains will play a major role in this endeavour for sure.
Friends,
In the seven decades after independence, 20,000 Km of rail lines were electrified whereas after the formation of our government in 2014, in the last 7-8 years, more than 32,000 Km of rail lines have been electrified. This is the speed at which work is going on in the country. This is the speed of modernization of railways. And to further speed up this process, now the world's most powerful electric locomotives are also being manufactured rapidly in India.
Friends,
Another testimony to the speed and scale of today's India is our metro rail system. The people of Kolkata know that Metro Rail has been an excellent mode of public transport for decades. Before 2014, the total metro network in the country was less than 250 km. And Delhi-NCR had the biggest share in this too. The Central Government has also changed this scenario. It has made all efforts to bring that change very fast.
In the last 8 years, we have expanded Metro to more than 2 dozen cities. Today, the Metro is running on about 800 kilometer track in different cities of the country. Work on the 1000 kilometer new metro route is going on at a rapid pace. The Joka-BBD Bag Metro project is a part of this resolution.
Friends,
There have been two more major challenges of India in the last century, which have had a very negative impact on the development of the country. One challenge has been the lack of coordination among various agencies in infrastructure related works. And the second challenge was the zero coordination between different modes of transport. Consequently, one department of the government did not know where the other department was going to start a fresh project. The honest taxpayers of the country had to bear the brunt of this.
The honest taxpayer of the country has always hated the wastage of government money, delay in projects and corruption. When he sees that the tax paid from his hard-earned money is not benefiting the poor but a corrupt person, then it is natural for him to be upset.
In order to prevent this wastage of money, PM Gatishakti National Master Plan has been implemented to increase coordination in departments and governments. Now whether it is different state governments, different government departments, construction related agencies, or industries, all are coming together on a single platform.
PM Gatishakti is also speeding up the work of multi-modal connectivity, connecting different modes of transport in the country. Today, highways, airports, waterways and new ports are being built in the country at a record speed. And most importantly, they are now being developed in such a way that one mode of transport supports the other mode of transport. That is, highways should be better connected to railway stations; railway stations should be connected to airports; and the people too should get a seamless connectivity during transportation.
Friends,
To stride ahead faster in the 21st century, we need to make proper use of the country's potential. I also want to share the example of waterways with the people of the country. There was a time when waterways were extensively used for trade and tourism in India. That's why various cities had come up on the banks of rivers and tremendous industrial development took place along the river banks. But this ability was first destroyed by hundreds of years of colonial rule and later by the government's indifference after independence.
Now India is working on expanding this water power. More than 100 waterways are being developed in the country. We are moving fast in this direction of running modern cruises in the rivers of India, or for business and tourism. The central government has also worked on establishing a waterway link between the Ganga and Brahmaputra rivers in collaboration with the Bangladesh government.
Today, I want to share information related to this with the people of the country. On January 13, 2023, a cruise will start voyage from Kashi, Varanasi, and reach Dibrugarh, via Bangladesh, covering a 3200 kilometer long waterway. This will be an unprecedented cruise of its kind in the whole world. It will also be a reflection of the growing cruise tourism in India. I would also urge the people of West Bengal to definitely take advantage of this.
Also, today I particularly wish to salute the people of Bengal for one more thing. I have always admired the love that the people of Bengal have for the country. The enthusiasm that the people of Bengal hold to learn about the different parts of the country and to travel to various parts of the country is amazing!
A lot of people prefer to visit other countries as soon as they get the opportunity, but the people of Bengal always give priority to their country. The people of Bengal carry the spirit of Nation First even in tourism. And today, as connectivity is expanding in the country and the railways, highways, I-ways and the waterways are becoming modern, Ease of Travel is also expanding equally. The people of Bengal are also getting a huge benefit out of this.
Friends,
Some famous lines composed by Gurudev Tagore-
“ओ आमार देशेर माटी, तोमार पौरे ठेकाई माथा”
That is, O my native soil, I bow my head to you in deep obeisance. In this 'Azadi Ka Amritkaal', we must work together keeping the motherland paramount. Today the whole world is looking at India with a lot of trust. To sustain this trust, every Indian must exert every possible effort. We must work every single day and every single moment for nation building. We must not stop in our efforts to serve the country.
With these words, I congratulate Bengal for the various projects. Once again, I extend my heartfelt good wishes to you and conclude my speech.
Thanks a lot !
DISCLAIMER: This is the approximate translation of PM’s speech. Original speech was delivered in Hindi.